ALL THINGS GREAT AND SMALL: The Lord God Loves Them All (Including Squirrels)

I was meditating today on the inherent value of living things. That is, I was taking a deep breath, clearing my head, refocusing my attention on the wonders of creation—especially the little animals who are my neighbors, like the squirrels who build their nests in our trees.

That’s a better approach, I think, than grabbing a shotgun or a slingshot and enforcing our sovereignty over our little acre. But sometimes I’m tempted!

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We had an adventure earlier this year with a critter finding its way into our house.

We knew something had been there during the day, when we were at work; but for a few weeks, we couldn’t figure out what was going on.

My husband set a live trap—and we finally caught Earl the Squirrel. Earl now lives in fine new quarters about 25 miles away, near a warm barn.

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One of Earl the Squirrel’s cousins suffered an unfortunate fate recently, when a windstorm blew him and his nest out of a tree.

The squirrel died in the fall; the nest lay there, clear evidence of sciuridae wrongdoing.

See, the nest was composed almost entirely of stuffing, so must have been soft and warm, indeed the Cadillac of all squirrel nests.

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And where did the squirrel get the stuffing?

Well, in our front yard are two swings, inviting visitors to sit a spell on a hot summer day.

Take a look at the swings, as they look today.

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The actress Sarah Jessica Parker said, “A squirrel is just a rat with a cuter outfit.” Can’t say I’m a fan of “Sex and the City,” but maybe this time she’s got it right.